Gossip is the cement which holds organizations together. Providing communal space such as coff ee areas or a lunchroom, allows employees to share information, knowledge and build relations that benefi ts both the company and the employee.Judith Doyle

Do you think it’s important for employees to have communal areas where they can share information and build relations?

171 2.29 Listen to the conversation and answer the questions.a Why has Trixy been out of the offi ce?b What is the news which she hasn’t heard?c Is Gary their boss or a colleague?d Why are they worried?e Why don’t they think that Maureen will be worried?f Th e expression ‘Th ere’s no smoke without fi re’ means that when people gossip about

something, there’s usually some truth in what they say. Do you have an equivalent saying in your language? Do you think it’s true?

2 2.29 Look at this sentence from the conversation in 1. … he said that we were overstaff ed.Th e original statement was ‘You are overstaff ed’.

Listen to the conversation again and complete the reported statements.a ‘You will have to let some people go.’ Th is consultant have to let some people go.b ‘How many people does it involve?’ Gary it involved.c ‘It depends on individual performance and attitude.’ He on individual performance and attitude.d ‘I often see them in the Café Au Lait.’ I’m not saying who, but someone them in Café Au Lait.e ‘Will you stay behind to work on this report?’ Th e other day he stay behind to work on a report.

3 Complete the sentences with said or told.a He we were overstaff ed.b He me we were overstaff ed.

What is the main diff erence between say and tell?

4 What words are missing from the following sentences?a ‘Where are you going?’ He asked me I was going.b ‘When are you going?’ He asked me I was going.c ‘Are you going?’ He asked me I was going.

When reporting questions, when do you use the word if?

office gossip

learning objectives: Unit 17Business communication skills Reporting gossip; Discussing the pros and cons of gossip at work; Fluency: Discussing offi ce policy about gossipreading Article about a company banning gossip; Posts on a forum about offi ce gossiplistening Conversation about company gossip; Radio interview about gossip at workPhrase bank Social conversations vocabulary Relationships at work Grammar Reported speech, say and tell

104 17 offiCe GoSSiP

In Company.indb 104 29/07/2013 16:20

5 Complete the sentences below.a ‘I’m busy.’ He said he busy.b ‘I’ll start straight away.’ He said he straight away.

What changes do you make to the Present Simple in reported speech? What changes do you make to will in reported speech?

6 2.30–2.33 Look at the conversations below. Complete them with words and phrases which make sense. Th en listen and compare your answers.Conversation 1a Jeff , (a) last month’s production fi gures?B No, Jane, I’m (b) . Can I give them to you this afternoon?a It’s no good being sorry. Th ere’s always some (c) . If they’re not on my

desk by four o’clock, I’ll have to (d) Mr Bradley.B Yes, Jane. I’ll start (e) .Conversation 2C David, have you got (f) ? Th ere’s something I want to (g)

with you … in my offi ce.D What’s it about?C Oh, well, we’re missing a laptop (h) from the store.D What has that got to do with me?C Well, you are the only other person with a (i) to the store and …Conversation 3e Marie, the fi gures you need are (j) .f Th anks, Pedro. Is everything (k) ?e Yes, no problems. Would you like to (l) them with me?f Yes, but I’m a bit (m) this afternoon.e Me too. Er, do (n) that new café they’ve just opened? It’s nice and

(o) . We can go through them there after (p) .f Oh, I (q) so, but I won’t be able to stay for long.e Great. (r) there at about six, then?f Yes, all right. See you there.Conversation 4G Hi, Monica.h Oh, hello, Jim. (s) things going?G Great. In fact, you can be the fi rst to congratulate me.h Yes, you look very (t) with yourself. What’s up?G I’m the new (u) of the eastern sales team.h Oh, really? What salary are you on now, then?G (v) a year.h I can’t believe it. Sixty thousand!G And they’re giving me a new (w) .h Oh, really? Congratulations, then. Th e (x) are on you. See you later.G Yes. Bye.

105

BUSiNeSS CommUNiCatioN

17 offiCe GoSSiP

In Company.indb 105 29/07/2013 16:20

7 You are at the coff ee machine having a gossip with a colleague. You have overheard the conversations in 6. Use the frameworks in the box to tell your partner what you heard. It is not necessary to report everything.

I heard … talking to … … said that … … told … that … … asked …

time to talk1 Read the news article and answer the questions.a What is the new law?b Do you think it’s a good idea? Why / Why not?

VIEWS12

City Council gags workers

Municipal employees in the Brazilian city of Cascavel have been banned from gossiping during working

hours. Under a new law approved by the city council, public employees who

spread rumours or gossip about their colleagues face the sack. � e city says civil servants have the right to work in a professional environment and claim the new law will promote integrity in public offi ces.

2 Underline words and phrases in the text which mean the following:a ordered not to do somethingb pass on information which is not offi cial and may not be truec be in a position where you can be dismissed

3 Discuss the following questions with other people in the class.a How do you defi ne ‘gossip’?b Is it always a bad thing?c Is it possible to ban it?d Does your company have a policy on gossip? Have you ever heard of a company

that does?

106 17 offiCe GoSSiP

In Company.indb 106 29/07/2013 16:20

4 The comments below were made on a website for office workers. Read them and classify them in the table. Then compare your answers with a partner.

Gossip is good mixed feelings Gossip is bad

offiCe WorKerS forUm

A Posted by Matthew Hart, England

A friendly and chatty work environment makes employees happy. This results in a better level of work from employees, which means the company makes more money. Any employer who bans office gossip will lose money by making the workforce less productive. If the workplace is friendly and employees can chat, they are happy. Happy employees work harder, so the company makes more money. An employer that bans gossip will make its workforce less productive and will lose money!

B Posted by Janet Jones, Wales

In my office, the only way to find out anything about the company strategy is through gossip. The management refuse to talk to most of the staff.

C Posted by Luke McCarthy, Australia

There’s nothing worse than gossip – and it’s especially bad when it is done by people who have nothing better to do than talk about other people.

D Posted by Nicole Martin, France

I don’t think gossip is a bad thing. It’s the best way to learn about office politics. It’s healthy to chat at work and it’s just part of working in an office.

E Posted by Pieter Groot, Netherlands

Gossip is just information that someone, somewhere, doesn’t want you to find out about. It can be great – unless you are the one being gossiped about. But it’s definitely not a sackable offence.

F Posted by Sanjay Patel, India

I started a new job a year ago, and I try to avoid gossip. If I’m in a group who start to gossip I walk away. It can really damage your career and your relationship with your colleagues.

G Posted by Claudia Weber, Germany

Freedom of speech is a basic human right. But harmless remarks can easily become hurtful remarks. I think it’s up to each person to decide which is which.

H Posted by John Mason, Scotland

I’ve found solutions to some of my biggest work problems while chatting by the coffee machine. Having a quick chat about completely unrelated topics can actually increase productivity as it helps to break up the day a little.

5 The phrases below are from the comments above. Complete the sentences with your own words and ideas.a In my office, .b An employer that will .c There’s nothing worse than .d I don’t think is a bad thing.e I try to avoid .

A Posted by

Matthew Hart, England

A friendly and chatty work environment makes employees happy. This results in a better level of work

from employees, which means the company makes more money. Any employer who bans office

gossip will lose money by making the workforce less productive. If the workplace is friendly and

employees can chat, they are happy. Happy employees work harder, so the company makes more

money. An employer that bans gossip will make its workforce less productive and will lose money!

B Posted by

Janet Jones, Wales

In my office, the only way to find out anything about the company strategy is through gossip.

The management refuse to talk to most of the staff.

C Posted by

Luke McCarthy, Australia

There’s nothing worse than gossip – and it’s especially bad when it is done by people who have

nothing better to do than talk about other people.

D Posted by

Nicole Martin, France

I don’t think gossip is a bad thing. It’s the best way to learn about office politics. It’s healthy to chat at

work and it’s just part of working in an office.

E Posted by

Pieter Groot, Netherlands

Gossip is just information that someone, somewhere, doesn’t want you to find out about. It can be

great – unless you are the one being gossiped about. But it’s definitely not a sackable offence.

F Posted by

Sanjay Patel, India

I started a new job a year ago, and I try to avoid gossip. If I’m in a group who start to gossip I walk

away. It can really damage your career and your relationship with your colleagues.

G Posted by

Claudia Weber, Germany

Freedom of speech is a basic human right. But harmless remarks can easily become hurtful remarks.

I think it’s up to each person to decide which is which.

H Posted by

John Mason, Scotland

I’ve found solutions to some of my biggest work problems while chatting by the coffee machine.

Having a quick chat about completely unrelated topics can actually increase productivity as it helps

to break up the day a little.

Office WorkErS’ ForuM

HOMe | register | lOgin | faq

107

Business CommuniCation

17 offiCe GoSSiP

In Company.indb 107 29/07/2013 16:20

6 You are going to listen to an interview about offi ce gossip from a radio programme. Match the words and phrases from the interview (a–f) to the defi nitions (1–6).a drive for effi ciency 1 talking informallyb scrapped 2 mobile refreshments servicec human resources 3 eff ort to get more work doned encouraged 4 seen as positivee chatting 5 not continued withf tea trolley 6 organization and management of company staff

a b c d e f

7 Before you listen, decide if you agree with the following statements. Why / Why not?a Companies who provide an opportunity for their workers to socialize are

making a mistake.b Today, people have less time to talk to each other and socialize than they did before.c Th e diff erences between a good job and a bad job are the social parts.d Employees are more productive when they are happy.e When employees share information and knowledge, the company benefi ts.f Companies should take measures to encourage gossip.

8 2.34 Listen to the interview to see if the speaker agrees with you.

9 Work with a partner and perform the following roleplay about offi ce policy on coff ee breaks and gossiping.Speaker A: Look at the instructions on page 140.Speaker B: You are one of the management consultants who prepared the study mentioned in the interview in 8. In a client’s company you see the notice below next to the coff ee machine. Say why you think some ‘gossip’ is a good thing and try to persuade the client to change the policy.

● Employees may take up to three coff ee breaks per day.

● Maximum time at coff ee machine: four minutes.

● All ‘gossip’ or discussion of non-work related matters is prohibited.

Company Notice

10 Based on your discussions in 9, complete the memo below.

FROM: Personnel Manager

TO: Managing Director

With regard to the company policy on coffee breaks,

In my opinion, .

According to a report by the Industrial Society,

In the report the author says that .

It is a question of balance, but .

In conclusion, .

108 17 offiCe GoSSiP

In Company.indb 108 29/07/2013 16:20

10917 offiCe GoSSiP

17 office gossip

Phrase bank: Social conversationsHow’s it going?Where have you been?Have you heard the news? What news?I can’t believe it!Really! Is it official?Apparently they are going to …That’s awful/terrible/wonderful/incredible.Catch you later.See you there at about six.Congratulations!

vocabulary

relationships at work

1 Combine one word from A with one word from B to complete the sentences below.

a B

coffeecompanyhumanmeetingmanagement

consultantroompolicyresourcesmachine

a People have the best ideas in conversations around the .

b The company has hired a to give advice on improving internal communications.

c What do you think about this idea of removing the chairs from the so we don’t spend so long talking about things?

d What is the on taking coffee or tea breaks?

e Nowadays people say instead of ‘personnel’.

2 Complete the puzzle using the clues below. Sometimes the first letter has been given.1 Having communal areas benefits relations in the

w .2 We are having a for efficiency. (You also

a car.)3 The topic of this unit.4 Let’s make an not to waste time.5 It’s not a good idea to rumours.6 Have you heard the ?7 There’s no without fire.8 We have banned smoking in the o .9 They don’t a of people taking long

tea breaks. 10 Let’s go out for a d on Friday night. 11 We should encourage employees to

their ideas. 12 What has happened to the tea ?

1 P

2 r

3 o

4 f

5 e

6 S

7 S

8 i

9 o

10 N

11 a

12 l

Grammar

reported speechsay and tellYou can use say or tell to report what someone said.say + something

• He says (that) he is happy in his new job.tell + somebody + something

• He tells everyone (that) he is the company boss.

TenseWhen we use the past forms said or told, we usually change the verbs in the original.Present → Past

• ‘I like working on my own.’ → He said he liked working on his own.

Past → Past perfect• ‘ I worked there for ten years.’ → ‘He said he had worked there for ten years.’

will → would:• ‘I’ll help you.’ →

He said he would help me.

No change of tenseWhen the situation is still true or there is no chance of confusion, we don’t change the tense in the original sentence.‘I enjoy working there.’ → He said he enjoys working there.‘Sales are rising’. → Marta says that sales are rising.

PronounsI → he/sheme → him/hermy → his/heryour → my

• ‘I speak to your secretary every day.’ → He told me he speaks to my secretary every day.

Language Links

In Company.indb 109 29/07/2013 16:20

110 17 offiCe GoSSiP

Adverbs of time and placenow → then/at that momenttoday → that dayhere → theretomorrow → the next day/the following dayyesterday → the day before/the previous day

• I’ll see you here tomorrow. → He said he would see me there the next day.

Most of these changes are logical and natural and often similar in other languages. Th ey depend on the diff erences in time, place and people between the original conversation and the reported conversation.

askedFor reported questions you can use asked + what/when/etc

• What do you want? → He asked me what I wanted.

or asked + if for reporting yes/no questions.• Is it offi cial? →

He asked me if it was offi cial.

Practice 2Complete the second sentence to report the fi rst one.a I’m really enjoying my job at the moment.

She says she’s really enjoying her job at the moment.

b It’s too late to cancel the meeting. I said .c We are having a lot of problems with the production

department today. He told me .d What time is Mr Keegan going to arrive? He asked .e We should buy a new computer system. He keeps telling me .f Is Mr Merchant available? She asked .g Th e fi xed costs include the offi ce rent and equipment

hire. She said .h Where do you work now? Th ey asked me .i I’ll meet you at the airport at eight o’clock. She said .j I want to see you about the arrangements for tomorrow. He told me .k Does the offi ce open on Saturdays? He asked me .l When will the documents be ready? She asked .m I’m the best salesman in the company. He keeps saying .n Can I make a phone call? He asked if .o What do you think of the new website? He asked me .

Practice 3Complete the sentences with say/says/said, tell/told or ask/asked.a Why didn’t you me you weren’t happy

with your job?b What will people if we try to ban

offi ce gossip?c Did he what time you had to be there?d Th e boss always that I should keep my

desk more organized.e He me he was having second thoughts

about applying for the job.f Will you him if he’s going to come?g I can’t read the small print on this. What does

it ?h Every time I visit them they me how

you are.i I’ll you if you promise not to

anything to anybody else.

Practice 1Complete the reported sentences using the correct tense.a We’re going to have a phone conference. He said that they going to have a phone

conference.b I spent hours on that proposal. She said she hours on that proposal.c I’ll post the letter in the morning. He said he post the letter in the morning.d It’s too early to check in for the fl ight. I told her it too early to check in for the

fl ight.e We worked until ten o’clock to get everything done. She said they until ten o’clock to get

everything done.f Can I use the photocopier? He asked if he use the photocopier.g Sales are at an all-time high. She said sales at an all-time high.h She will be home early on Th ursday. She said she be home early on Th ursday.

In Company.indb 110 29/07/2013 16:20